


Better Than Sleeping Apart

by saltylikecrait



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Camping, F/M, Ficlet, Fluff, Literal Sleeping Together, Post-Canon, Sharing a Bed, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:48:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23655640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltylikecrait/pseuds/saltylikecrait
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 62





	Better Than Sleeping Apart

“This seems like a good spot.”

They came across a patch of trees where the brush thinned out along the ground. A decent place to set up camp, Princess Zelda thought. There was enough cover to hide them from any lurking moblins patrolling the forest. They had both assumed that by defeating Ganon, the monsters would vanish, but they found themselves to be wrong. The monsters stayed, though there was less of them, at least. 

With quiet, steady eyes, Link scanned the area before he nodded in agreement. He went straight to work with setting up camp; gathering wood for a fire, checking their surroundings. Zelda knew she was lucky to have someone like him around. She was safe in his hands.

Unmounting from Storm, Zelda patter her steed’s snow-white coat along his neck before she went over to help. However, Link was quick on his feet and knew exactly what to do. By the time she caught up to him, he already had most of his tasks completed.

Sighing, she resigned herself to checking the map to make an estimate of how long it would be for them to get to the Zonai ruins. Today had been their first day traveling, and at a steady walk with frequent breaks, she guessed they covered about twenty miles. 

“We’re probably about five or six days away,” she said out loud. “Provided nothing distracts us, of course.”

With a smile, Link nodded. It had taken her a long time to get used to his silent demeanor when they first met. By the time their destinies separated them, Zelda had come to appreciate her quiet companion, his kindness, and his strength. She knew he knew how long it would probably take, but he didn’t feel the need to tell her that.

As it grew dark and the fire illuminated their faces so they could see each other, Zelda decided it was time to get out her bedroll. She glanced at Link as she flattened it out on the ground, noting a bewildered expression.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“Um…” He looked like he was going to say something more, but changed his mind. “Nothing.”

She went back to her task, getting her bedroll ready before she checked on Storm and Epona to say goodnight. When she returned, she slipped under the top layer of her blankets and glanced at Link one more time.

“I’m going to stay up a little longer,” he told her.

“Goodnight, then,” she replied. It wasn’t unusual for Link to stay up longer than her. Even with less creatures running around, old habits weren’t necessarily a bad thing here.

Zelda wasn’t sure how long she was asleep before she heard rustling and a metallic click come from where their saddles sat on a down log. She cracked an eye open to see what was going on, only to find her travel companion slumped against his saddle, traveling cloak wrapped around him like a blanket.

“Link?” she called out. When he turned over to look in her direction, she continued. “You forgot to pack a bedroll, huh?”

He looked embarrassed, confirming her suspicions. Link was a great travel companion, but sometimes, he put the saddle before the horse, so to speak. Then, he nodded.

With a sigh, Zelda pulled the top layer of blankets up, an invitation. “We’ll get you something next civilization we get to.” She guessed that would be one of the stables. “But for now… we can share. I don’t mind.” Well, she did, but not because she was annoyed to share with him. Quite the opposite.

Hesitating, Link sat very still against the saddle. “We shouldn’t,” he answered, quietly.

Huffing, the princess raised her voice. “If I order you to, will you?” When he said nothing, her frustration grew. “Link, it’s going to be cold all night and I’d rather my guardian not freeze. If I have to share my blanket with him, I will. Now, get over here!”

Eyes wide again, Link looked like he wanted to refuse. She shot him a look that told him not to, unless he wanted to stir her anger more. He got up and moved closer, laying down and allowing her to drape the wool blanket over both of them. Link was trying to keep distance between them, remembering their differences in title, but the blanket made it hard for him to be too far away.

“This isn’t so bad, right?” she wanted to clarify with him. “Better than sleeping out in the cold.”

“It is,” he agreed. “I just don’t want to bother you.”

“You’re not,” Zelda assured him. “I won’t fret over you now, if that’s any reassurance.”

She thought she saw a smile twitch on his lips, but the darkness made it too hard to see. “Good night, Your Highness.”

“Good night, Link.”


End file.
